Fragile Chains
by MistressOfTime1218
Summary: The times two cursed heirs spent together.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter Title: Chance Encounters

Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts

Pairings: CielXOz

Chapter Summary: Ciel and Oz meet at a party neither even wanted to attend. Once together, they instantly lock in a game of strategy, of mind, and of getting into your opponents head the best way you can. "Chess anyone?"

Quote: I met Oz today. We are playing chess.

* * *

Their meeting had been coincidence.

Ciel had been avidly avoiding the type of social situations that type of party had entailed. All that yelling, and laughing, and shouting, and running around. Honestly, there was no need for such barbaric chaos. It was only a birthday party, and truth be told, Ciel didn't even know whose birthday it was. He had been invited; he had shown up, now all he had to do was wait out the rest of his accursed three hour stay. Damn that Sebastian for leaving him there on his own.

Oz had gotten lost. The mansion he was in was unfamiliar and so much more twisted in construction than his own home. It was probably due to the fact that the little boy who owned this house had a very twisted mind to begin with. Marques, the birthday boy, had always been such a disturbed little child. He took great pleasure in dismembering and disfiguring various inanimate and …not inanimate… objects and seeing how long it would take for his victims to either die or blow up. He had, as of late, shown much interest in the young Bezarius . Especially Oz's deep green eyes and perfect golden hair. Marques had made mention of how lovely they would look in red.

Oz cursed his uncle for making him attend the party. Marques had done everything in his power to see that Oz and he were left alone. It had gotten so nerve wracking that Oz had to make up some excuse about needing to use the restroom. Not only did he never even find the bathroom, but then he had gotten lost in a sea of odd hallways.

Ciel had entered the quietest room he could find. Suspiciously, the room had held all of the belongings of the guests attending the party down on the first floor. Ciel caught sight of his coat and cane lying haphazardly against the only window in the room. In fact it seemed to him that they had just been thrown there. How rude. Looking around he noticed a particular set of objects packaged carefully on one of the couches. How odd. He had seen that dark blue coat somewhere, on one of the guests, but who-

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here."

Ciel turned around to land his gaze on a semi familiar blonde haired green eyed boy. Said boy quietly stood at the doorway peeking around the room. "Am I interrupting?"

Ciel shook his head. "Come in." Ciel had no idea why he had said that, as the reason he wandered over to this floor and this section of the house was to be alone. Yet this boy did not seem like too much of a bother. A bit too bright as far as personality went perhaps, but tolerable, at least much more so than the other pipsqueaks running around downstairs.

The blonde happily ducked inside and closed the door. He stepped to Ciel happily, holding out his hand. "I'm Oz Bezarius . Nice to meet you."

Ah, that's right. The Bezarius family had met with the Phantomhive family briefly many times in the past. It was mostly for small occasions and business parties. Neither family had ever interfered with the other or caused the other to stop the type of business they concocted. Oz looked similar to the last Bezarius Ceil had ever been acquainted with. Oscar something or other.

Ciel took Oz's hand politely. "Ciel Phantomhive."

Oz looked as though he meant to respond, when he caught sight of the package on the nearby couch. "Wha-"

Ciel would not admit that the sudden retraction of Oz's hand made him frown.

Oz was too busy franticly trying to rip open the parcel to notice.

"Is there a problem?"

"These are my things!"

Ciel took a seat on the couch. Might as well make himself comfortable. "And?"

"I gave these to the butler downstairs. Why are they here?" Oz quickly went through his belongings. Everything seemed to be in order. His coat was alright, his gloves placed together, his scarf…where was his scarf?

He dropped down to the floor. Once on all fours, he began to scour the room for his lost article of clothing. Uncle Oscar had given him that scarf. The last thing he wanted to do was lose it.

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"My scarf is missing." A small growl escaped his lips. "I'll bet you anything that stupid Marques de la loco took it."

Ciel tried to stifle a laugh as he followed Oz's search with his eyes. "Does this Marques have a problem with kleptomania?"

"Only when my things are concerned." Oz looked up from the floor with a pout. "Can you help me look for it?"

Usually Ciel would demand that the other look for it himself. However this boy was awfully amusing for reasons the young Phantomhive did not seem to understand at the moment. Still, what harm would looking do? "You search below and I'll search above."

For a few minutes the two young heirs scoured the room for Oz's missing scarf. During that time the two fell into light conversation. Oz talked about his little sister, his uncle Oscar, who as it turns out Ciel had met before, and he seemed to speak a lot about his servant. The boy was apparently around Oz's age and was as loyal as they came. The two of them were best friends.

It was an odd concept to Ciel. His servants were not his friends. He especially wasn't best friends with the most loyal of his staff. Sebastian and he…well he could not really determine what kind of relationship the two of them shared. He momentarily wondered if that was a bad thing.

At one point Oz had finally decided that the small article of winter wear was a lost cause. He suggested that they instead play some sort of game to pass the time. Ciel had laid his eye on a chess board with its pieces already set out. It was not long before the two young heirs were absorbed in an intense game of mind and strategy.

"Neh, Ciel?" Oz questioned as he took hold of one of the others pawns. "Why do you wear that patch over your eye?"

"An old injury." Was the lie that came with practiced ease. Ciel had uttered it so many times it was basically second nature to answer the question in such a way.

Oz frowned. "Sorry. Such a shame."

"Really?" Ciel took one of Oz's nights from the board. "Why?"

Oz's bright smile caught the Phantomhive off guard. "The one eye I can see is lovely. It would have been a treat to see them both."

Ciel had to turn away to hide the blush forming on his face. "Casanova." He muttered under his breath, much to the amusement of his companion.

"You think so? I didn't think I was so charming."

Ciel let out a puff of air. "As if such a thing were possible. Those with charm are very much aware of the talents they posses. Just as those with power are very in tune as to what they control."

Oz stared at Ciel for that comment. After which he quickly took hold of Ciel's queen. "Check mate."

Ciel looked from the board, to Oz's face, back to the board again. "How did you?" He had only taken his eye off the game for a few minutes, and never at consistent intervals. How had Oz managed to beat him like that, without him even becoming aware of it?

"You're too serious Ciel." Oz said with a smile just this side of mischievous. "Spend too much time trying to beat your enemy at his own game, and you might make the mistake of overestimating his movements. By the time you've unraveled the most complicated plan he _might_ win with, he's already seen an obvious way to beat you." He pointed down to the board on the table.

It was then that Ciel realized what had happened. He had early on in the game made work of Oz's pawns. He had laid out an extensive strategy that took out most of the board's imaginary army Oz had surrounded his queen with. He had yet to notice that, in a fit of what he had believed was stupidity, Oz had started moving his own queen around the board. Ciel had let it come closer in the belief that the blonde had some big plan in store for the young Phantomhive. His real plan had been obvious. Get the opposite sides queen with her opposite. Ciel had become distracted with the conversation just enough at different points of the game to lose sight of this small detail. He had still been waiting for Oz to put some brilliant plan into play.

"You beat me."

Oz stood up to stretch his muscles around. He had never had such an intense game of chess before. Ciel was a good opponent. "It was a good game. We should play again sometime."

Ciel looked up, a gaze that said he was ready to try again right then and there.

But Oz merely shook his head. "The party is over and done with." He pointed towards the door as the sound of footsteps running towards one room, near the entrance, was heard. "Time for us to go home."

Ciel wanted to argue. He had never been a very good loser and he wanted to take a swing at Oz again. But it was getting late, and that damn butler would be arriving shortly. So he reluctantly helped Oz put the game away before grabbing his cane and coat from near the window.

When the two arrived downstairs, everyone was just getting into their carriages to head home. Sebastian waved his master over with a smile that Oz could not help but feel uneasy about. Despite that, he walked Ciel to the carriage and was about to bid the other a friendly goodbye. That was until he realized his own coach had yet to arrive.

Confused, he turned, very reluctantly, towards Marques to ask if his uncle had said anything about being late.

The boy let loose a smile even creepier than Sebastian's. "Oh, didn't you know? You're carriage had an accident while on the way here. I'm afraid they won't be able to send someone for you until tomorrow. I suppose you'll have to spend the night."

Oz visibly shook. A night in the same house with that lunatic, who knew every nook and cranny of the place, no doubt with a key to the room Oz would be staying in, did not sound appeasing at all. And he had the feeling that the carriage mishap had not been an accident at all. But, what other choice did he have?

"Oh, didn't you know, Marques?" Ciel said before Oz had the chance to speak. "In the event that Oz was unable to return home, he was told to lodge at my mansion for the night."

Oz blinked, and Marques sent a rather evil glare towards the boy who spoke.

Yet Ciel smiled in the face of it all. He did not like his host very much. He was sure something very unpleasant would happen to Oz if he were to remain here of all places for even an hour. Ciel was unready to lose such a possible equal playmate. "Did you forget, Oz, what your uncle said before you left this evening?"

Oz did not need to be told twice. "Oh!" He quickly turned to Marques in an amazing show of false forgetfulness. "I had completely forgotten. Uncle Oscar was afraid that there would be a terrible storm this evening and had feared that I would not return home. Ciel volunteered to let me impose upon him if such were the case." He scratched the back of his head while chuckling nervously. He saw Ceil raise an eyebrow at his new speech patterns but he blatantly refused to meet the others gaze. "This might not be a storm, but I think it calls upon the same arrangement."

Marques looked less than convinced.

Ciel turned to Sebastian, authority radiating off his small form. "Sebastian, I trust Oz's room has been prepared to his liking."

"Of course young master." The butler said quickly. "The arrangements have already been made."

Without waiting for any arguments, the two boys, plus one very strange servant in Oz's opinion, climbed into the carriage after a swift polite farewell to the birthday boy. The horseman gave a loud call to the horses and they were off.

Inside the carriage Oz and Ciel sat side by side while Sebastian sat opposite of them. Ciel avoided his servant's gaze for as long as he could. There was a teasing question within them that he did not want to answer.

Instead he turned his head towards the window. "You really will have to stay with me for the night." He told Oz. "We'll send word to the Bezarius family right away. Until then, feel free to use a guestroom. It might-" Suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulder. Curious, he turned his head to see Oz's sleeping form leaning against his, head resting on Ciel's shoulder. The Phantomhive should have felt repulsed by someone else touching him, but he simply smiled and let Oz be.

Sebastian chose that time to ask the impending question. "What did you do at the party, young master?"

Ciel continued to stare at the sleeping Oz. "I met Oz today." He said. "We are playing chess." No, they had not finished their game just yet.

* * *

MistressOfTime1218: Well this is a series that came from messing with a quote generator I found a link to on DeviantArt. It looked like fun, so I input the names of, what my friend Storm likes to call, my OTCP (One True Crossover Pairing) Ciel and Oz. Various situations will occur throughout the course of this series as I went a tad bit overboard with getting quotes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Title: Sudden Feeling  
Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts  
Pairings: CielXOz  
Chapter Summary: ****Ciel is miserable after Oz takes his leave after a weekend visit. Since misery loves compony, he makes sure veryone else is having a horrible time as well.**  
Quote: You had me at 'Oz'

**

* * *

**

Ciel was in no mood to be decent. He had been in a sour mood ever since Oz had left the Phantomhive mansion that past Saturday. It was suddenly very odd to be in his own company again. Oz had very quickly become an expected presence to the earl. They ate meals together, played games together, went about the town together. Ciel had gotten used to the other boy.

The staff had become very fond of the blonde as well.

Finny liked to play with Oz in the garden. With the smaller blonde around, Finny was less likely to cause such tremendous damage for fear that Oz might get hurt. So instead of causing trouble, the two went on a crazed mission of planting every single seed they could find. And Ciel was positive they had planted _everything_. Fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, even items that would not be in season were put into the dirt. Nothing was actually in bloom, and Ciel had the feeling that not much ever would be, but it kept Finny busy, Oz happy, and Ciel entertained.

Bard had made Oz his honorary assistant chef. Together the duo created various concoctions ranging from weird to things that actually looked somewhat edible. Oz liked experimenting, and Bard liked setting things on fire. When the two met, it set off a deadly combo of silly and over the top proportions. Ciel was surprised his kitchen was still in one piece. He was also surprised that the two had actually managed to make something he could eat without complaining too much. They called it a 'Sweet Surprise'. It was a type of meat with some kind of fruit sauce dribbled over it, and a few choice vegetables surrounding it. Ciel had no idea what it was made of, but he didn't very much care to find out.

Mey-Rin liked having Oz around her simply because he was always boosting her fragile ego. Oz was like that with all women, he supposed. He knew just the right things to say at the precise moment the words needed to be said. He meant them too, which was what really got the girls he charmed. He never lied. The sweet attitude was never fabricated or faked. He was sincere with Mey-Rin, and treated her with a kindness she was unused to. Ciel was almost convinced she had fallen in love with Oz. He had had to, at numerous times during Oz's stay, pull the blonde away from her and force him to spend time with the one he had actually come to visit.

Even Mr. Tanaka had developed a liking to the boy. It helped that Oz found him nothing less than fascinating. The way he would go from a small butler to a wise helping hand excited Oz to no end. He did all he could to see the change. He had even asked Ciel to help him come up with a way to make one state last as long as the other. It was impossible to be done, but Ciel had encouraged Oz to try. In the end Mr. Tanaka remained a little bit of a mystery, and Oz had become entertainment for the whole family.

Eventually the visit had to come to an end. Oz had to go home. He wished everyone a pleasant farewell, and then rode off back to the Bezarius household.

Ciel had been in a foul mood ever since the other boy had gone out of view. No one could appease him. Everything was wrong, everything was terrible, and nothing anybody did was enough to make him happy again. He could not be appeased. Not even by anything Sebastian did.

All he did was remain in his office and work. He did not go out, did not meet with clients, he would not even look at any letters sent to him unless they were from Oz. So far the mansion only saw one day where the earl acted normally. It was after Oz had sent him a thank you note for letting him stay at the mansion, and a bold request to either return for another visit, or for Ciel to come to stay at the Bezarius mansion with him. Ciel had not replied yet, but it had appeased him enough to stop acting like a slaveholder.

The problems continued the next day. For some reason he had been particularly upset about a message he had received from Elizabeth. She was throwing a party later that night, and she wanted Ciel to attend. It was supposed to be a festive gathering celebrating the official coming of spring. Everyone the earl knew would be attending, which was what annoyed him to no end. He stated continuously that he did not want to leave his house. Nothing, especially a party, would change his mind.

But his servants knew what that would entail for them. Elizabeth would not take this. If Ciel was being stubborn and would not come to her, she would take the initiative and go to him. That meant embarrassment and uncomfortable situations for the entire mansion. They _needed_ their master to go to that party, so each desperately did their best to convince him.

Finny tried appealing to his sweet tooth. "There will be lots of sweets there. Things like, cakes, and cookies, and scones, and tarts, and crème puffs, and-"

"I can get all of that made for me here." Ciel had interrupted with. "Why would I waste time going out somewhere to get them?"

Mey-Rin tried appealing to his decency. "It would make Miss Elizabeth very happy if you were to attend the party she worked so hard to plan."

"And it would make me very happy if she didn't plan these stupid get-togethers on a daily basis and expect me to show up to every single one." He replied.

Bard tried appealing to his hormones. "There'll be a lot of pretty girls there."

Ciel had stopped what he was doing long enough to look appalled by what his cook had just said. "_**Why**_ would that make me want to go at all?"

Sebastian finally stepped in and reminded the earl of his family honor. "It would kill the good Phantomhive name if it were discovered you very blatantly refused to go to a party thrown by your fiancé."

Ciel had stared at him straight in the eye. "Then let it die."

No attempt after that would even get through the door.

Everyone eventually decided to accept their very grim looking fate, when Mr. Tanaka walked right into the young master's office holding a sterling silver tray with a message atop of it. For a few seconds all four of them simply waited outside the door. They expected some type of outbreak or tantrum. What they got was their young master running out of his office and towards his room.

Sebastian blinked for a few good minutes, before he went into the office where Mr. Tanaka was still standing with the letter he had delivered. The butler took a quick look at the note before smiling slightly. The rest of the staff questioned what was written on it, and what was said that had finally convinced Ciel to get out of the mansion.

_Ciel,_

_ I hope you haven't forgotten about what I asked you last time. I have been very hurt by the fact that you have yet to answer me. Well, I expect your response no later than tonight. I'll be waiting by the desert table at the party tonight. You are going aren't you? If not, I can simply enjoy my evening by talking to your lovely fiancé. _

_Sincerely Oz_

"I believe," Sebastian said. "It had him at Oz."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Title: From One Extreme to the Next  
Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts  
Pairings: CielXOz  
Chapter Summary: Ciel looks back on the beginning of him and Oz, and just how the blonde came to be the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.  
Quote: Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to Oz

* * *

He had been afraid of Oz at one time.

The other was promising all sorts of _things_. Friendship, affection, attention, loyalty, all these things Ciel had never wanted from another human being. If they gave them to him, he would in turn have to offer something to them. If he offered something, it would prove that he had become invested in whatever relationship he was now involved in. And if he was invested in it, he had something to lose.

Ciel did not like losing to anyone, least of all to his own heart. He had shut the thing down countless times in the past. Very rarely did it ever feel anything anymore. If it did, the moments were far and few in between. Taking such drastic precautions made certain that he was never distracted by emotional pain. He had no time for such meaningless matters. Hence he had no time for Oz, the boy who was promising those hardships in false golden packaging.

Ciel had been angry at Oz once upon a time.

Oz could smile like Ciel could not. The blonde gave everything to the young Phantomhive, all of his vulnerabilities and every chance to cause him harm, and he smiled. He had given Ciel the opportunity to hurt him. Ciel gave him absolutely nothing. Not even acknowledgement at what he had been given. Oz still smiled. He found happiness in just the fact that his gifts had been accepted.

Ciel could not smile like that. He could hardly smile for anything. He could barely even smile for the acts he put on. He had been jaded in just about every aspect of his life. Fate had tossed him to the lions and watched in morbid glee as the creatures tore him apart bit by bit. He had thought he and Oz were kindred spirits in that sense. If that were the case, then why could Oz smile when Ciel could not? How on earth could he be happy? There was nothing in their god forsaken world to be happy about.

It made Ciel angry. It made him mad to think that someone like him could be so joyful when he was not. It enraged him to no end to know that someone just like him had figured out how to escape from their misery when he had not.

He had grown to hate Oz as time went on.

The truth had hurt him. It hurt to discover the fate that awaited Oz. Ciel may have not been an expert on Chains or the Abyss, but he was far from naïve about either subject. He knew what would happen to Oz, especially since the blonde was so adamant about not killing Alice.

Oz was going to die. Oz was going to die, and in his wake he would leave Ciel with raw emotions he had not experienced in a long time. The earl could hardly believe it. How could Oz do that? How could he force a friendship on Ciel and then hit him with his inevitable death sentence?

The hate for Oz grew and grew, and then the object of his hate changed. It quickly went from a hatred of Oz, to a deeply rooted hatred of himself. He was the head of the Phantomhive family. He had a widely running set of underground connections and a demon at his every beck and call. Why couldn't he stop Oz from dying? If he was so great, then why couldn't he save the one person who cared enough to worm his way into a tightly secured heart?

The hate died down eventually. Surprisingly enough, the one who destroyed it, was the one who made it appear in the first place.

Oz had come to him. He said he understood if Ciel was mad at him. He had kept a terrible secret from the younger heir, and that had not been fair to Ciel. He apologized with everything he had in him. But then he said he was also sorry that he would not be able to go away. He was already too attached to Ciel. He would keep his distance, if that was what the other wanted, but he would always be there. Always be around to ensure that Ciel was safe from any harm that came his way.

Naturally, Ciel had not known what to say. For a good while he had just sat there, looking at Oz kneeling down on the floor, not quite comprehending what was going on. Then he just suddenly enveloped Oz in his arms, and he cried. It was the first time he had shed tears in the others presence, and it would be the last, but it had meant something. It meant that the hate Ciel felt was no longer necessary. He no longer needed to return to it.

He could feel afraid, and he could get angry if he wanted to. When it all came down to it, all of that would just lead him to Oz. Right where he was supposed to be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Title: Troublesome Love**  
**Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts**  
**Pairings: CielXOz**  
**Chapter Summary: Of all the people in the world why did Ciel chose the one person that had trouble following him around like a plague?**  
**Quote: Oz! Why did it have to be Oz?**

* * *

Ciel had no idea how the blonde did it. It should have been absolutely impossible to get oneself into mortal danger after being alone for only five minutes. How Oz managed to defy both the law of reason and probability was beyond Ciel. If he were to guess, he would say the other was doing it on purpose. How else did he get himself into situations like this?

"Who took him this time?"

"A set of illegal immigrants that escaped from a prison on the border of France and Portugal."

Ceil breathed deeply. "What do they want?"

"Money and access to an escape from the country."

"Call me a Carriage."

The butler bowed. "Right away Young Master."

"And Sebastian?"

"Yes?"

"Get me something for this headache."

"Right away young master."

* * *

"Do you want to tell me how that happened?"

Oz scratched the back of his head, laughing somewhat nervously. "It was an accident?"

Ciel met the others embarrassment with compete disgust of the situation. "You accidently wandered into a suspicious conversation between escaped inmates who held you for ransom?"

"Maybe I _may_ have been listening in on them a little bit."

"_**Maybe**_? _**May have**_?_** A little bit**_?"

"Alright! I was eavesdropping! I'm sorry!"

Ciel muttered something under his breath while rubbing his forehead. Oz had a sinking feeling that the language it was uttered in was Latin, and the muttering had actually been some type of ancient curse. "And _where_ exactly was that stupid rabbit? Isn't she supposed to look out for you when I'm not there?"

Oz smiled. "Alice went to find Gilbert for help."

"And why exactly were you two away from Gilbert in the first place?"

"Alice got mad at Gil and ran off."

"And you followed?" Oz nodded. Ciel growled. "That's it. From now on you will be at _my_ side when in _my_ territory. The only exception will be when either Sebastian or Gilbert is present." Otherwise he'd never keep the blonde out of trouble. Honestly, why had he picked Oz of all people to fall for?

Oz placed a shy kiss on the earl's cheek. "Thanks Ciel."

Well, maybe the blonde's incessant trouble streak wasn't too terrible. Not if Ciel got to get a nice reward for playing hero.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Title: Guilt

Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts

Pairings: CielXOz

Chapter Summary: After a viscious fight with Oz, the blonde has dissapeared. Now, feeling guilty, Ciel can't seem to track him down.

Quote: I want that Oz, not excuses.

* * *

"Just where has he gone!"

Ciel decided his temper needed some kind of filter. Some type of barrier that told his mind not to let irrational annoyances fly out of his mouth whenever they felt the need to. Especially when those irrational annoyances were firing out for no good reason. Ciel always regretted letting them loose afterwards, and he was always stuck fixing whatever they had broken.

This time he had blown up at the wrong person.

He honestly could not remember why he and Oz had started fighting in the first place. Someone said something about family honor, and then, before Ciel knew what was happening, the two of them had started trading insults. Ciel said something about Oz being stupid for making a contract with a chain, and Oz responded by bringing up how he made a deal with the devil. Ciel had said something about Ada, and then Oz said something about Lizzy. Ciel responded by saying something about Oscar, which made Oz take a swing at Ciel's parents. The punches started flying when Ciel responded by saying that at least _his_ father had actually cared about him

Ciel bashed his head against his desk.

That fight had been blown way out of proportion. They had gotten so violent with each other that they had been physically ripped apart by Sebastian and Gilbert. Still, the insults and hurtful comments flew like rapid-fire. Ciel knew things had gone too far when he screamed,

"_Go home! I never want to see your face again!"_

And Oz had responded with,

"_Fine by me! After today you won't catch me anyway near London, or you!"_

Then Oz and company had quickly packed up and left. Two days after that, Ciel had started feeling unhealthily guilty and found himself wishing Oz would come back. He had not meant even half of what he had said to the other. He had just been too caught up in the moment, too wrapped up in winning whatever stupid mind game they were playing, to realize what he was doing. He wanted to fix it, so he sent Sebastian out to find Oz.

But the butler came back empty handed. He had tried, very valiantly, but for some reason he had not been able to find where Oz had run off to. He was nowhere in the city. Ciel feared that Oz had kept to his word and left the country altogether. The blonde was very good at keeping his promises. If there was a way for him to get on a boat that was sailing far away from London in such a short span of time, he would find it.

Ciel started sending out letters to anywhere Oz might have run to. They all came back denying that Oz was there. He had not run home to his uncle, nor had he gone to see his sister. The Reinsworth family had yet to have Oz, or Sharon and Break, return to them. The Nightrays also said they had no idea where the blonde had dragged Gilbert off to. Not one Pandora member had any useful piece of information to give him, and Ciel had even fallen so far as to start listening to local gossip channels. No one had seen Oz since he left the Phantomhive mansion.

It was like the blonde had disappeared from the face of the earth. And Ciel felt no better knowing he was the reason why.

"Young Master!"

Ciel picked his head up to stare at the fidgeting form of his gardener. Ciel had sent him out with his coworkers about six hours ago, right at the crack of dawn, to try finish the job Sebastian had failed to complete. Meanwhile, Sebastian was out on the town trying to locate the blonde, again.

"Yes Finny?" Ciel grumbled out.

The blonde fidgeted again. He obviously had no good news to deliver. "We couldn't find Oz."

Finny had a bad habit of addressing Oz casually in front of Ciel. Oz had grown tired of the formality between him and Ciel's staff, and thereby ordered them to leave out the 'master' when speaking with him. Still, Ciel didn't like them doing it too often. He liked his aides to remember what place they held with Oz in comparison to him. He was the only one who was actually able to refer to Oz in a casual sort of manner, and the servants would do well to remember that.

But he would worry about that later.

"Look again."

"But-"

"I said look again."

Finny looked about ready to cry. "But Young Master, we're tired, and hungry, and we don't know where else to look."

Ciel gave him a cold look. He had never given one so harsh to Finny before, but his temper was once again running rampant throughout him. It took pity on no one, and no one was safe from it. "I don't want to hear your complaints. The next time we speak, the first words out of your mouth better be Oz's location. Otherwise you'll be out of a job and out on the streets. Understood?"

Finny nodded quickly and then ran out of the office in tears. It was only seconds later that Ciel realized what he had done, and then he was once again bashing his head against the hard oak of his desk over and over again.

He needed to find Oz, and quickly. This was getting ridiculous. Until then he had to find a way to calm himself down. Otherwise he would lose his staff, and his mind.

"Oz," He whispered. "Just come back you idiot."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Title: Remorse  
**

**Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts**

**Pairings: CielXOz**

**Chapter Summary: Sequal to 'Guilt'. Oz is still in London, and he's just as miserable as Ciel is.**

**Quote: We can't stop here. This is Ciel country: **

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* * *

**

Gilbert was not one to go against what his master ordered. Oz had never steered him wrong before. Sure, sometimes the two of them ended up in odd situations because of a decision Oz had made, but when the situation called for it, Oz always managed to get them both out of trouble in the most amazing of ways. But Gilbert was starting to think that Oz only made good decisions when it was for the sake of _other people_. Because when it came time to give himself golden advice to act upon, he did a lousy job.

He agreed that getting away from Ciel for a little while was what his master needed. That last encounter had not turned out well, and perhaps they had been spending too much time together. A little break would be good for them. Or so he had thought when they left Ciel's mansion. But ever since they left, Oz had been in a bad mood.

He still acted the same towards everyone; afraid of Break, in love with Sharon, parental with Alice, and friendly with Gilbert. It was just that there was an obvious chip on his shoulder he could not hide from the rest of his party. And when he was alone he would mutter Ciel's name followed by a long string of half hearted curses. It was obvious what was going on.

He missed Ciel.

Gilbert was surprised the earl had not already found them and forced them to return to his mansion. It wasn't as though they had gone too far. They were still in London, unable to get a boat and on wait for a carriage that would take them away from the city. Surely Sebastian had already been sent to look for them. Why he hadn't was a mystery. Break said it had something to do with an artifact he had on him. He said it repelled demons, or something to that affect. Whatever it was, it certainly kept everyone off their trail.

Still, the raven had no doubt in his mind that Ciel was trying to find them. The child was a brat when he wanted to be, but he was fond of Oz. This argument was affecting Ciel just as much as it was affecting the blonde. This was not a one way street. It had never been between the two of them. They were missing each other, and both were too stubborn to go directly to the other and apologize.

A sigh directed Gilbert's attention towards the window in the room. Oz sat against it, looking out at the scenery longingly. Gilbert would have asked what was wrong, if he had not already known the answer.

"Oz," He said at last. "If you feel that bad, we could just go back."

Oz shook his head. "He's mad at me." He sighed again. "No. It's better if we just get out of Ciel altogether, and as soon as we can."

Gilbert blinked. "You mean London?"

"That's what I said."

"No. You said Ciel."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"All I said was that we needed to get out of Ciel as fast as we could."

"You did it again!"

Oz quickly flushed and sputtered out several more denials. If he had been thinking straight, he would have probably found a nearby cat to toss at his servant. As it was, he was not thinking straight, and could not even rustle up the state of mind to know what a cat was.

"It's obvious that you miss him. Just go back and apologize."

"Why should _I_ be the one to apologize? He started it! Besides, he doesn't want to see my face anymore, remember?"

Gilbert had to remind himself that Oz was just like a child sometimes. Forget the coming of age ceremony, or the ten years he had spent in the abyss. Fifteen was just not an age you could act maturely in all the time, especially when you were dealing with a thirteen year old.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"He meant it."

"Did _you_ mean any of the bad things you said to him?"

Oz slouched forward and shook his head. "No."

"Then go back."

For a few fleeting seconds, Oz looked like he would take the advice. He even opened his mouth to, as crazy as it seemed, verbally agree with what Gilbert was saying. However, before he could, something outside the window caught his attention.

"Hey, look!"

Gilbert blew out an irritated sigh. "Don't try to change the subject."

"I'm serious Gil. Look out there!"

"Oz, if this is some type of distraction,"

"Gil, just get over here before I sick a cat on you!"

Gilbert was beside his master in seconds. He too was awed by what he saw outside. A small crowd had gathered a few feet away from the front door of the inn they were hiding in. In the center of that crowd were three individuals. Finny was crying on the ground, Mey-Rin was trying desperately to sooth him, and Bard was attempting to shoo away the crowd. It made little to no sense to Gilbert why they were out there in the first place. It was already dark out. No doubt Ciel needed them back at his mansion to serve and assist him.

"Gil," Oz said sadly. "Finn is crying."

Not a second later the full effect of those words kicked in. Then Oz ran downstairs, burst through the door and flew over to the gardener's side. The blonde's had always had a soft spot for one another.

For a few seconds Oz tried to sooth him with calm and gentle words. The cries eventually died down to occasional sniffles as Bard finally convinced the crowd to disperse.

"What's wrong Finn? Does something hurt? Are you injured?"

The gardener responded by crushing Oz to his chest. "Oh Oz!" He cried happily. "I'm so happy we found you!"

Oz struggled to breath in the vice grip. "I'm glad to see you too Finn." Bard was the one who finally broke the two apart. Oz took in a gulp of some much needed air, relieved when he felt it hit his lungs.

Finny never held him that way. He knew how strong he was, and knew how fragile Oz was in comparison. So he was always sure to keep his grips at a tolerable strength, else Oz would eventually stop breathing. For him to forget to hold back, and to be this happy at seeing Oz, it meant that something was really wrong.

"What happened to Finn?" He asked Mey-Rin. "Did he get hurt?"

She hesitantly shook her.

"Did he lose something?"

She shook her head again.

"Did someone say something bad to him?"

She shook her head again, but then she nodded. An action that Oz had no idea where to place on the 'yes' or 'no' spectrum. Luckily, Mey-Rin decided that she should clarify. "Master Ciel ordered us to find you, and we're not to go back unless we do."

Bard snorted. "That's the nice version of things."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Give us the not so nice version then."

"We've been up since sunrise three days ago looking for Oz. We haven't slept, we've barely eaten, and according to our master, if we don't deliver Oz back soon, we're going to be out of a job and a home."

Oz was taken aback. Ceil really cared so much that he was willing to work his servants to the bone to find him…wait,

"Hold on." He said suddenly. "That isn't fair!"

"You're telling us."

Oz helped Mey-Rin and Finny to their feet before turning to Gilbert. "Go get Alice, Sharon-Chan, and Break. Tell them we're going back to Ciel's place." He huffed angrily. "I'll teach him to treat his servants so terribly.

Gilbert wasted no time in carrying out the order. It may not have been the way he wanted things to turn out, but Oz was at least going to talk to Ciel. He just hoped this encounter would not be as bad as the last.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Title: Saviour

Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts

Pairings: CielXOz

Chapter Summary: Oz doesn't have a deity to depend on. Who he calls in his time of need is Ciel

Quote: The world will look up and shout "Save us!" and I will whisper "Ciel."

* * *

They said that this was the ultimate way to cleanse the earth. They, these sick, sick people, claimed that what they were doing was just and righteous. Oz didn't know what to think of such people. Not after what he'd seen.

It had been mistake straying from Ciel's side. Maybe if the two of them had been together, then Oz would not have been targeted. Or if he was, maybe together they could have figured out a way to escape from the men who had kidnapped him. Then again, they could have just as easily been outmatched, and then they _both_ would have been forced to live in these hellholes. No. It was better that Ciel was safe, and nowhere near Oz at this moment.

Oz wasn't alone in his misery. There were others, dozens of others surrounding him. They had been abducted as well. Some were taken from the streets, like he had been, others ripped out of their homes and businesses. Oz could not determine what each had in common. They were all from different brands of life. Rich, poor, middle class, elderly, young, middle-aged, there was nothing to connect any of them together. Nothing, except for the fact that they were all stored in one crowded shed, waiting for someone to tell them that there had been a terrible misunderstanding.

But their captors simply told them that some type of mess had to be cleaned up.

The next day the group had been separated. There had been no kind of organization or method to the distribution. The men in charge of the place had just counted people down by threes. From there they were all threatened at gun point onto two sets of carriages. One set was grey, the other was painted black. Oz's group had gotten onto the grey carriages. Hours later they arrived at a set of abandoned castles.

They were told at the front steps that they were going to die within the next two months. In a large scale effort to cleanse the world of sin, this group had taken it upon themselves to follow their leader's orders and destroy all the poison in their world. Oz understood then what was happening. It was just his luck. He had been kidnapped by a fairly psychotic religious cult. And there he was with no way to defend himself without the risk of being shot at. So for the moment he had no choice but to go along with what they said, and hope that help would come for him soon.

The first week had been uneasy. Oz and the others had been treated like prisoners. They were fed three times a day, meals barely suited for rats, let outside once a day for about an hour, and then brought back into the castle, where they remained in the dungeons for the rest of the night. Oz kept himself busy by playing with the small children around the cells. He made as many friends as he could to make the time more bearable. One he remembered fondly was a woman called Maryellen. She was expecting a child sometime in the summer, and she glowed even in the dim darkness. She was someone every child flocked to, Oz included. Thanks to her always positive attitude, and the children's endless smiles, those first few days had passed by quickly.

That second week was where things started going wrong. People were getting sick, first in the mornings, then in the afternoons, and again in the evenings. By the second day people were suddenly dropping down dead in their cells. Then on the third day, a little girl had been playing with her food. She ripped open the meat, and out came a disgusting purple liquid. She tried to eat it, but Oz had slapped it away from her, and told her that she couldn't have it. She listened to him, but one of the adults, a fat old man used to eating beyond what was deemed healthy, did not. That old man finished it off in seconds, and he was dead within in the hour.

The food had been poisoned.

After that, barely anyone ate. They discovered that the food was tampered with at random. You might get a clean trey of food, but by eating you take the risk of dying by the hands of an unknown chemical. Oz took to checking whatever rations were brought to Maryellen and the children. He tested them by feeding them to the rats scurrying around. If the rodents died, he tossed out the food. If they lived, he passed out whatever good food there was equally amongst the group.

Many did not have that type of patience. They were already hungry enough as it was. They didn't have time to check and recheck their food. So they took their chances. A good number of them died due to their desperation for a full stomach.

The third week was when people started being taken out of the dungeon. Guards would come by in the mornings to observe them in their cells, and then they would reappear in the evenings after dinner. They would take out about three or four people from each cell. They were always older adults. And they were almost always men. Oz could only remember a few of them, mostly because he remembered that he never wanted to associate with them outside of this predicament. The men were grouchy, mean, and were too proud of the money they held in their pockets. They kept bragging about how someone was coming to rescue them any day now.

After they were taken out of their cells, they never came back. One of the children asked the guard on duty what had happened to them, if they had gone somewhere. The guard responded by shooting a rat that had been scurrying by. The child did not ask again. He would later ask Oz what that had meant. Oz didn't have the heart to tell him that the men they had seen taken had been shot to death, and were not coming back.

The fourth week had been a nightmare. People were still being taken out of the cells. This time there was no set type of person being picked out. Anyone was fair game. They would be taken out in the mornings, and by that evening smoke would start to pour into the cell walls. The smell was unbearable. Oz almost thought he was putting gasified death into his lungs. The very sensation made him want to throw up.

The guards told them that what they were inhaling was not mere smoke. It was ash. The ash of their fallen comrades rising to the sky. They said they had built a furnace and had decided to try and see what it could burn. Their leader told them that bodies were great test subjects. They gleefully said he was right.

Oz waited until they were long gone before he began vomiting painfully, Maryellen rubbing soothing patterns on his back while she held onto his hair.

The fifth week had been the most painful. Almost everyone had been taken out of the dungeon at that point. Again they were taken in the morning. All that remained by the end of the week were Oz, the children, Maryellen, and any other expecting women. All else were forced to leave. During that week all captives were told they would no longer be allowed to go outside. Time away from their stone walls had been taken away, and food would be delivered directly to them from then on.

Sometime around noon the sounds started up. Painful moans and gurgles coming through the bared windows in the dungeons. Those soft noises became full on screams of tormented souls. They would last for hours. Sometimes they would even go on well into the night. A different chorus rang out every day for seven days. Oz had, at that time, held no greater desire than to go deaf from all the pleas for help.

Then the sixth week came about. It was at that time that Oz and anyone else still left in the cells were forced to come out. Though some struggled, they were all eventually taken outside and escorted to a large steel garage. As they passed by the courtyard, Oz could see just what had been causing the screams he had been hearing that past week. Those that had been taken out of the cells had been impaled on large scale spikes, one by one. Oz could still see the pain etched into wide opened eyes, just as he could see the dried blood all over the tips of the stake. It almost made him want to throw up again.

The garage door was opened slowly. Oz noticed that there was only one window located in the far back, and that there were shower heads all over the ceiling. He turned to ask what they were doing there. Before he got the chance to push the words from his lips, he and the others were thrown inside.

By some miracle instinct Oz managed to pick himself up from the ground and run back towards the door. It was shut in his face, and then it was bolted shut. Though he tried he could not get it open again. He started to bang his hands against the door. The children soon joined him. Together they bashed and cried out, hoping against all odds one of their captors would release them. But the door remained closed, even as Oz's hands began to glow red from the scars he was inducing to his hands.

A few minutes later, a gas began to shoot out from the shower heads. The women in the room started to cry. The children started wailing soon after. Oz did his best to calm them down. He tried to tell them not to breathe in the gas too much. He told them everything would be alright if they just stayed calm. But the seconds flew fast, and even he began to get weary and sick.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light stemming from that one window in the back of the garage. That window was either made of plastic or glass. Either one could be shattered if hit with the right amount of force. He ran to it, tripping over his own two feet in the hopes of some kind of salvation.

He nearly started crying when he realized that there were bars preventing him from reaching the glass. It must have been some sick joke his kidnappers were playing on him. Give him an inch of hope, sure, and then make him realize that it had been pointless to even think of hoping for anything in the first place. It was cruel, but it was what he had come to expect from them.

Everyone was crying now. Everyone was calling out for someone to save them. For the little ones it was their parents. For some of the women it was God. For others still it was the spirits of dead loved ones. Oz didn't believe in any of those entities. Not his parents, not God, not even the ghosts of those long gone could save him now.

So he called out for the one person who he believed would.

"Ciel."

The world became blurry after that. He remembered collapsing to the floor, blood slipping from his mouth at just that one word. He thought he was going to die.

Then he started hearing someone calling his name. The voice sounded distant, as though it were miles away from him, but the calls were desperate. As time went on the sounds got closer. Then the voice got clearer. Suddenly Oz knew exactly who was trying to get in touch with him, and it was for the sake of that person alone that he opened his eyes. The endeavor was somewhat painful, but well worth it when he looked into the eyes of one Ciel Phantomhive.

"You came," He rasped out. "I knew you would."

Ciel brushed back the hair that had gathered in front of Oz's face. Then he kissed the forehead of the boy lying helpless in front of him. Ciel explained that Oz was in a hospital. Madame Red was seeing to his medical needs, as well as all the others who had been with the blonde.

He went on to explain that Oz had been kidnapped by a new up oncoming cult that had formed earlier that year. The leader was one Bartholomew Evens who had been imprisoned for the murder of his cadet troop in the military. He had escaped by charming one of the guards on duty into setting him free. Once on the outside world he deemed it necessary to pay the London police for sticking him in a cell for the past seven or so years.

He gathered followers, young men almost fresh out of college, and drew them in with his wit and natural charisma. Evens got it into their heads that God's beautiful world had been corrupted by sin. As the only decent individuals in said accursed world, it was their duty to cleanse it. So he had his followers round up as many people as they could without being noticed. From there he developed schedules of their deaths. The ways with which they were carried out were some of the worst Ciel had ever seen. They had ranged from Native American methods to techniques Evens claimed to have seen in the future.

Oz asked what had happened to that second group, those that had at the beginning gone into black carriages. Ciel told him they died on the road. Some were set on fire, others driven off of cliffs. The remaining ones deliberately crashed into anything that would prove fatal.

Oz asked if the cult leader had been captured. Ciel told him Bartholomew had been present at Oz's death camp when the final group was about to be gassed. Ciel had put him in handcuffs personally after he had made sure Oz was in good hands.

Oz asked how many had died. Ciel didn't answer him.

"Get some sleep." Is what he said, which was Oz's cue not to go down that line of questioning. Instead he made himself comfortable enough for another bout of slumber. "Ciel," He whispered before sleep overtook him.

Ciel hummed in question. "More questions?"

Oz shook his head. "Thanks for saving me."

Ciel was silent for a moment. He looked around to make certain no one else was near them, and then he lay one soft butterfly kiss on Oz's lips. He would really let the idiot have it later for scaring him half to death. For now, however, he could bask in the simple fact that Oz was alright.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Title: Option # 1**

**Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts**

**Pairings: CielXOz**

**Chapter Summary: The final hour had been winding down. No one knew enough to stop it from going full circle. **

**Quote: ****We'll always have Oz.**

**

* * *

**

Ciel had just assumed he'd always be there. Oz had that kind of presence. The type that made you forget it had never been there in the first place. The kind that made it seem impossible to believe that it would ever be gone. Besides that, Oz was not someone who wore death plastered across his face. The blonde was not sick, nor was he careless enough to die for something stupid.

But Ciel should have known better. Oz may not have been terminally ill, but he did have a time limit on his life. The clock tattooed on his chest was in every way a ticking time bomb. Once it went full circle, Oz would die, and his soul would be sent back to the abyss. This time it would never come out again. No chain, no attempts to save it, would work.

Ciel had thought about ways to prevent that. The most obvious course of action was to kill Alice. It wasn't like she was human anyways. She may have been one once, but she was nothing more than a weapon now. Ciel could have made it seem like an accident. He could have done it as painlessly and as quickly as he wanted to. But that would have made Oz sad.

Instead Ciel let the blonde do what he wanted. All Alice needed was her memoires, the blonde assured him, and then the chain would be broken. Far be it for the Phantomhive heir to try and dissuade Oz from any decision he had already made. All Ciel had to say about the subject was that Oz had better be right. Otherwise he'd sick Sebastian on him.

Oz had promised him nothing bad would happen.

Under such weak circumstances Ciel should have known better than to believe him. He never should have gotten to know Oz so well. He never should have formed a friendship with the other boy. He never should have become involved romantically with the other heir. Yet he had done each of the above without thinking at all.

It was a foolish move to make.

Good things never last. Never. Oz was no exception. Someday he would vanish. If Alice wasn't either eliminated or able to retrieve all her memories, it would be sooner than expected. Yet, Ciel had hoped. For a little while he had let his heart wish for something. He should have known then that everything would blow up in his face.

Oz had acted sweeter than usual. He had always been affectionate, that was what made him so irritatingly adorable, but those few days had been different. He had spent more time with Ciel. He didn't ask for something to do, or somewhere to go, as was the norm for him. He simply sat. He would smile, make small talk, and then let Ciel get back to work. Ciel had loved it. Oz was fine just the way he was, but a little peace and quiet every now and again was always welcomed.

Then came the pinnacle of Ciel's happiness. The two of them spent the night together. Ciel had wanted to do so for a while. He was a healthy young man with perfectly normal needs, and embarrassingly enough those needs could only be seen to by Oz. The blonde had always told him to wait though. He told the Phantomhive that there was no need to rush. They had plenty of time for things like that. They could afford to hold it off until they were both ready.

It really should have set off some kind of red flag when Oz just came into his room one night and told him he was ready.

It should have, but he was too excited at the time to think straight. And afterwards he had been too happy to question his good luck. Instead he moronically allowed himself to treasure the moment. Instead he allowed himself to stupidly think that the bliss, both physical and emotional, could somehow last forever. Instead he let himself actually _lovingly_ utter those three foolish words of absolute adoration.

"I love you."

And when Oz replied, "I love you too." He thought that maybe it could last an eternity.

He was a fool.

"The souls of those departed do not leave us in vain. Their departure only shows us that eventually we will all come to the end. And when that time comes we will be reunited with those long gone, thought never forgotten. Let us remember…"

Ciel tuned out the preachers soft tones. It would do no good to listen to them. This man didn't know Oz. He had no idea just what kind of boy he was preaching about. Oz was not merely one of the departed. He was not as lowly as an ordinary deceased member of society. He was truly one of the only decent people in a world where disgusting souls made their beds. He deserved more than these false words.

Ciel waited until those who knew Oz best got to speak in his honor.

Oscar spoke of the son he never had. He said Oz was his child, if not by birth, than by spirit. Ciel was glad. Oz's birth father was a disgrace. He tossed out the sun, and then he wondered why he was enveloped in darkness. If Oz had sinned by existing, then that man had sinned by not dying as soon as he left the womb.

Ada tried her best to speak through her tears. She loved her big brother. He had taken care of her when she was young. He saw to her when she was sick. He played with her when she was bored. He supported her when she could not rustle up the strength to stand up on her own. Most of all, Oz loved her when others would not. Ciel wondered if she could be the same without him.

Sharon talked about Oz as though he were a hero. She told countless tales of his great bravery. How he would rush right into the face of danger if it were to protect the innocent. How he was kind to everyone who met him, even kinder if they needed his help. She said working with him had been an honor, just as much of an honor as Oz had been himself. Ciel agreed.

Break did not speak, though he did look solemn throughout the entire ceremony. Oz used to say that the two of them were a lot alike. Ciel used to think it was only because both he and Break had hidden an eye from the world. But maybe that hadn't been it. Maybe the two of them were alike because both of them had cared for a boy they should have never gotten attached to.

Gilbert was the last to speak. He spoke of his master like no one else could. He revealed the true intent of Oz's golden heart. The courage he had for knowing he was going to die, yet carrying on in the mission to help someone else. The love he had for those who came into his life, and the love he took with him into the abyss. The soul that would be mourned over for all of eternity.

The empty casket was lowered into the ground, and people began to depart. Several stayed behind to offer one last gift.

Ada and Sharon left roses; Ada a yellow one for Oz's golden hair, and Sharon a green one for the emeralds that were Oz's eyes.

Oscar set down a plate with the Bezarius family seal, as well as Oz's name, etched in gold. Oz was a Bezarius heir. No one would ever doubt that.

Break left one single slice of cake, carefully packaged with beautiful wrapping, down on the grave. Break didn't usually like to share, but this time he would make an exception.

Gilbert set down his hat. The last thing that made him Gilbert, the loyal servant, would forever rest in peace with his master. As would his loyalty, his hopes, and his heart.

Ciel's staff, as well as his fiancé, had been present at the funeral as well. They too had loved the Bezarius heir. He was as much a part of their lives as their own master. So it was written in their hearts, so it was written in life. It was only natural that they gave him a parting gift as well.

Finny set down a straw hat that matched his own. Oz had said he liked Finn's, so the older had promised to get him one of his own and give it to him when he returned for a visit.

Mey-Rin placed a glass plate, golden phoenix etched on the front, before the stone. It had been Oz's favorite plate at the Phantomhive mansion. It was also the only dish she had never broken.

Baldo placed a chef's cap beside Gilbert's hat. Oz had worn it more times than he had anyway. The kid just loved to help him out in the kitchen, even if it was just to help him make a mess.

Mister Tanaka left Oz his favorite Japanese teacup. The young blonde had liked using it when pretending to be Mister Tanaka. He liked the old man, and the old man had liked him too.

Elizabeth set down a tiny blue tiara Oz had worn the first time they met. When Alice had been mean and refused to try it on, Oz had worn it for her instead so that Elizabeth wouldn't cry.

Sebastian, surprisingly, had a gift too. No one quite knew his intentions for coming or why he had chosen to stay and place something at all. But he did set down a halo made of silver roses.

Ciel was the last to go. It seemed fitting for those who knew of his true relationship with Oz. They all wondered what he would put down. Would he deny his feelings until the bitter end and place nothing? Or would he finally give into his emotions and give an empty casket the world? They didn't know.

Ciel himself had not known what to give until just that morning. The idea came to him as he prepared for the funeral on his own. No Sebastian, no staff, just him and the emptiness of the room he had shared with Oz those last few weeks. In fact he had been thinking about a particular night they had spent together just as he was getting ready to head out the door.

They had both been exhausted, but somehow they still had the energy to cling to each other and talk. Oz had smiled brightly that night. Smiled a smile that had outshone even the full moon coming in through Ciel's window. He had started talking about the future. He even brought up Ciel's engagement with Elizabeth, and how he would eventually marry her. Ciel had always thought he would go through with that arrangement no matter what, simply because it was his proper duty. But right then,

_He gently flicked Oz on the forehead. "Baka. Like I'm going to go through with it now."_

_Oz laughed. "So you'll leave your fiancé for me?"_

_Ciel smirked. "Isn't that the dream of every mistress?"_

_Oz had pushed him then. He never did like being referred or compared to a girl. "Neh, Ciel, would that mean that I'm the new betrothed of the Phantomhive family?"_

_It had sounded nice. "Oz Phantomhive? It has a nice ring to it."_

"_I like Ciel Bezarius better."_

_The argument on just who would take whose name continued. In the end Ciel had won. He didn't even remember how he had won, but it might have had something to do with the kiss he had given the blonde towards the end of the fight. Oz never argued well while kiss drunk. _

"_Fine! Oz Phantomhive it is!" It was here that an impish smile took form. "But that means you'll have to buy me an engagement ring and a wedding ring."_

_Ciel snorted. "You'll get one ring and be happy with it."_

_Oz pouted, but a second later he was smiling as he had been before. "Alright, but my wedding ring better be special. It will, after all, be my proof of belonging to the Phantomhive family."_

_Ciel had grown tired then, and simply answered with a positive hmm. _

_Oz took that cue and cuddled closer to his lover. He was positively beaming when Ciel wrapped his arms around him. "You've got me excited about it now," He whispered. "I actually want to be your groom."He nuzzled the other boy's chest. "I expect you to come through with that ring Ciel."_

_Another sleepy snort. "Since do I go back on my promises?"_

Even now that simple conversation struck a chord in Ciel's heart. He had never gotten Oz that ring. Even if the two of them were never really going to get married, Oz deserved a ring like he had been promised. Not to show off or to brag about. Just so he could have a promise he could hold in his hand, something concrete so he would know in his heart that he truly meant something to the earl.

Oz was already leaving with Ciel's heart. He might as well leave with his name too.

Ciel took off the Phantomhive family ring. His staff looked on in a shocked numbness as he kissed it one last time, and then dug a hole for it in the dirt. No one made a sound until the ring was dropped and covered back up in soil. Someone asked why. No one could actually remember who asked, but everyone knew someone had.

Ciel ignored whoever it was. Instead he kissed two of his fingers and then placed them on Oz's name. The last kiss of its kind, and it would go to a boy never to be seen again.

"I'm sorry I never got you that ring you wanted. If I had known,"

If he had known he would have had that rabbit killed, but it would be better if he didn't say that here. This place was now sacred. He would not stand for anyone defiling it with negativity, himself included.

"But I did say you'd get one. One that would be special in welcoming you into the Phantomhive family. I can't think of a better one than this. So I'll leave my most precious possession with my most precious person."

He stood then, once more ignoring the question of why. Anybody who knew him, anybody who knew Oz, already knew why.

"Rest in peace love."

Almost everybody departed with tears in their eyes, whether they were big or small.

Almost everybody.

Ciel had ordered Sebastian to make a tomb surrounding Oz's grave. There was enough room in the surrounding area not to disturb anyone else, and it wasn't as though he didn't have the money to pay for any complaints he would get. Royalty deserved a royal resting place. That, and Oz was special. He deserved better than a dirt plot with an empty casket. His tomb would have everybody's gifts to him, as well as anything a sweet prince like him would need to have in the afterlife. Ciel commanded it to be so.

So that night, Ciel decided he would go home. He would bid his staff goodnight, as he would to Elizabeth. He would go upstairs to his room, and he would sleep. Once asleep he would dream of Oz and of the day they would be reunited in the abyss. For Ciel decided that when Sebastian ate his soul, he too would land in an empty abyss. And once he was there, he would find Oz. Maybe in that land of darkness they could find eternal happiness.

So Ceil decided, and so he slept.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Title: Option# 2  
Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts  
Pairings: CielXOz  
Chapter Summary: The final hour on Oz's clock has finally begun to wind down. Ciel is determined to stop the countdown, whatever the cost may be.  
Quote: And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my Oz**

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Ciel could see the fear running through her eyes. She did a fine job of hiding it though. Placing a good amount of pure rage in front of fear was usually a good way of making your enemy think that they had just made a terrible mistake. However, it was a pointless technique to use on him. He was a dog for the queen. He had been trained to sniff out his enemy's weaknesses, as well as corner his opponent into a situation where there was only one option.

Besides that, he knew the odds were in his favor. She had walked into his territory of her own free will, and she had made the mistake of thinking he would leave her be. She didn't know the layout of these streets. Otherwise she would have never walked into a dead end so easily. He was the one in control here.

Alice would not leave this ally alive, or his name wasn't Ciel Phantomhive.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Ciel had never liked this girl. She had her good points, he supposed, but there was one key flaw in her existence that Ciel could no longer stand.

"I'm saving Oz." Ciel replied coldly. "Because we both know he doesn't have the common sense to do it himself."

She scoured the ally for any chance of escape. It was futile. Gilbert was not there to unleash her power. Nor was Oz there to stop Ciel from carrying out this plan. She had no one to come to her aid. She had no one to help her. But Ciel did.

"Sebastian."

The butler appeared beside his master before the heir had time to finish his name. His eyes were gleaming red. The eyes of a demon, and they were focused on the prey his contactor had given him.

"Young Master?"

Ciel needed only to motion to the girl in front of them. "Kill her."

She might have stopped breathing for that one second. It was only natural. She had never seen something like this coming. Not from Ciel. She had been around him before, and he had never shown any sign of malicious intent towards her. Dislike, yes. Murderous intentions, absolutely not. The situation was confusing to her.

Yet it all made sense to Ciel. Truth be told, he had never wanted her to die. She annoyed him, but so did a good amount of the county's population. That was not reason enough to take her life. But that was before Ciel had known the exact reason why Alice followed Oz around. Before he knew about the abyss, before he knew about the beings inside of it, and before he knew what it meant to be locked in a deal with one of them. If Ciel had known sooner what Alice was doing to Oz, he would have taken care of the situation before Oz became even further attached to his little parasite, and before the final hour had been struck on that clock.

"Have you lost your mind?"

That was probably the case. Normally he would not go around handing out death dates like they were candy. It had been pointless for him to get himself directly involved with any type of killing that had to be carried out in the past. That was what Sebastian was for, after all. Matters had only changed recently, when Oz started becoming personally involved in the circumstances. For Oz, Ciel would take the time to see to this in person.

"Possibly."

"Just what do you think will happen when Oz finds out about this?"

As if he hadn't already thought of a way to disguise this event. The last thing he needed was for Oz to think Ciel had hurt him intentionally. "We still have yet to catch Jack the Ripper. You were a young woman traveling alone in the streets of London with a dangerous man on the loose. He'll put two and two together."

Of course the math would be slightly off because Ciel was intentionally writing the problem incorrectly to begin with. Oz would think the wrong person had murdered his precious Alice. In a fit of grief he would then turn to Ciel, begging him to capture London's horrid serial killer for Alice's sake. Ciel would agree, as he rightfully should have, and he would indeed find and capture Jack the Ripper. Oz would believe the correct culprit had been rightfully put away, and he would begin healing from his loss.

"He'll find out the truth, and he'll hate you for it."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. He was through talking. "Sebastian, I gave you an order."

"Yes my Lord."

Sebastian needed only twelve seconds. One second to prepare himself for the run. Two seconds to execute the speed needed for the dash. Three more seconds to close in on the girl backed up against the wall. The last six seconds were spent placing her bloody body down on the ground. She was still alive when she was set down. It was not what Ciel had ordered, but it had been something he wanted. The butler had always been able to sense such things.

Ciel obstructed her view of the sky. She spit at him with whatever strength she had left. The blood that came out of her mouth splashed all over his eye patch.

"You don't understand what you've just done."

She was wrong. "I understand enough. I know what pain I'm about to put him through, but I'm willing to pay the consequences for his life."

Contrary to what she believed, he understood what this would do to his already blackening heart. It would be one more sin to add to his list of debts never to be paid. He had enough of those as it was, but Oz was worth more than anything Ciel had ever possessed. The earl was not willing to lose something so precious, not when here was a possibility that it could be saved.

"I love him too much. So much so that I'm willing to become one of the dogs I hunt. But you don't love him enough. You don't hold him so close that you would finish yourself off before his life was in danger."

It was a shame really. Oz had been willing to do anything for her. The least she could have done was ensure his safety. Or at the very least, she could have done more in the search for her memories, been quicker about the matter so that things would not have had to come to such drastic measures. Then Oz would not have to grieve for a lie.

"He'll be alright?"

Ciel had been caught off guard. The look in her eyes had changed dramatically. Where there had been resentment for Ciel, now there was worry for Oz. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe she had loved Oz as much as he did. Maybe she just didn't know how to put that love before her fears of disappearing again.

"I'll take care of him." He assured. "Don't worry about such things."

She nodded once, and then the life in her eyes diminished altogether. Ciel waited stayed by her side for a minute or two, to see what would happen to her body. He wondered if it would disappear into the abyss, like some of the stories he had been told prophesized. But no, her body remained stable on the ground.

"Make it identical to the other victim's." He told Sebastian. "Make the police think this was another Jack the Ripper casualty. Then get to work on finding the real Ripper."

"Of course."

Ciel would carry this sin for the rest of his life, however long it was. It was just about the worst thing he had ever done, but it was the one thing he knew he would never regret.

"Hurry up." He ordered. "Oz is expecting us for dinner. Don't make him wait."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Title: Oz's Ciel

Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts

Pairings: CielXOz

Chapter Summary: Oz sits and ponders the life that is Ciel Phantomhive

Quote: One Ciel's too many, and a hundred's not enough

* * *

Ciel could aggravate Oz like no one else. It took a lot to get under Oz's skin, yet the Phantomhive heir could pull off the endeavor time and time again without even trying. He was unnaturally cold towards absolutely everyone in his circle of acquaintances. He took little to no interest in every day pleasures. He never said 'sorry' or 'thank you' unless it was required of him. It took freezing hell over twice to get him to smile, and heaven was demanded to be brought down in order for him to laugh somewhat honestly.

It was exhausting being around him. It was like he could suck the fun out of everything. All he wanted to do was act like an adult at the age of thirteen. Work, eat, see to his duties, sleep, lather rinse, and repeat. Oz could not understand how the other could live with such a limited life style. It was like he was living for a darkness that would eventually swallow him. It scared Oz to a certain degree, and it made him glad that there was only one Ciel Phantomhive in the world. The universe would not be able to handle another. One was more than enough.

And yet, at times, Ciel was everything good in the world.

When you got past the ice, Ciel was a surprisingly warm person. He would smile at you as though you were the world, and he would mean it. Even if those smiles were secret, and given out only when others weren't looking, they were 100% genuine. No acts, no lies, just the truth. When that boy laughed, every miracle on earth was overshadowed by the pure joy behind those sounds. Ciel's laugh was the crème of the crop.

When he took interest in something, he put his all into it. There was something amazing about watching him act determinedly about something. Just looking on from the sidelines as Ciel put everything he had into a task, took Oz's breath away in the most wonderful of ways. And when the prick finally got around to showing gratitude or apologizing for something, he humbled himself to a point where he was equal with whoever he was speaking to.

At times like those the world didn't have enough Ciel's. The world didn't have enough honesty, enough drive, or enough self worth. In moments like those, Oz understood what little honor the universe truly had. There were evil men out there. Men who left themselves with no options, and greatly dimmed the chances others had for good lives.

When Oz took time to think about people like that, he understood that Ciel was not limiting his life, or the lives of anybody else. He was simply living in limits until the rest of the world caught up to his status of freedom. Ciel was a truly good person behind all the walls and denials he put up around himself.

"Do you see something wrong with my face?"

Oz shook himself from his thoughts. He grinned at the annoyed earl next to him. "No. Why?"

Ciel's left eye twitched. "Then stop staring. You look like an old pervert."

Oz could not help but burst out laughing. Even when Ciel, face flushed in embarrassment, demanded him to stop, Oz did not have the strength to do as he was told. At times like these, even a thousand Ciel's would not be enough to pacify the world. Too bad that Oz held in his possession the only one in creation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Title: Forced Wish**

**Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts**

**Pairings: CielXOz**

**Chapter Summary:**** Oz has been taken into the Abyss. Ciel's wish has changed from ending life, to stopping time until life can begin again.**

**Quote: ****When there's no more room in hell, the Oz will walk the earth.**

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* * *

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The letter fell to the ground slowly. The hands it had been held in were shaking, as was the body they were attached to. Feet that were used to hold said body up gave way, and the figure fell to the ground. There he stayed, shocked, dismayed, and far too wounded to try and stand again.

Ceil could not find the strength to breathe. His heart was clenching far too tightly in his chest for his lungs to have the proper room to function. Meanwhile his stomach seemed intent on purging itself of everything he had consumed in the past three days. His mind kept yelling out denials, and his memories kept replaying past events.

Oz had been in this very office a few days prior. His coming of age ceremony was quickly approaching. He had invited Ciel to attend the party that would occur shortly after the official ceremony. Ciel had regretfully told him he would not be able to make it. An important client had to be met with, and business matters had to be taken care of. But, he told the blonde, if he wanted, he could come back to the Phantomhive mansion for their own party celebrating Oz's pathway into adulthood. Ciel was sure his staff would be thrilled at the prospect of such an occasion, and it would give Ciel a little more time to find Oz a birthday present. Oz had enthusiastically agreed and was then quickly ushered out the door.

Oz had not come back for his party. What came in his stead was a letter. The words written on it told of something so vile Ciel could hardly stomach it. Oz had been murdered at his own coming of age ceremony. He was dead.

That was the only word he could focus on now. Dead. Oz was dead. As in, the blonde would never grace the mansion with his presence again. He would never again barge in unannounced when Ciel was working. He would never again throw parties in Ciel's name without permission. He would never again beg the other to get him a puppy for his next birthday, and he would never again force the earl to spend the night at his mansion. He and Ciel would never exchange insults or Christmas presents again. Oz was gone.

Shakily he pulled himself up from the ground. His mind was still telling him that there must have been some kind of mistake. How could anyone have let Oz die? He was a member of a prominent family. That meant that he was to be protected at all times. There was no possible way anyone could have messed up so terribly as to let someone dangerous near him. So how did this happen?

He felt nauseous. The room was too bright, and the objects within it were beginning to spin. Ciel sat himself down again, slowly, and tried to force himself to take in a few good deep breaths. He had to think straight. Panicking would do nothing but make him sick at this point.

The thought was easier said than done. His body was completely rejecting any order his mind was trying to send. And that bloody pain in his heart was just getting worse with every passing second. He could not remember the last time he had had such a physically intense reaction to a situation where he suffered no physical blows. No, no one had laid a finger on him. So why did he feel like he was being gunned down by undiluted poison?

It took him a moment to realize that the situation at hand did not make any kind of sense. Apart from the aforementioned lack of protection, other factors were strung together to make a deformed and messed up image. One that Ciel did not think for a second was the actual truth.

Oz was not weak. He had been given proper experience with weapons before. He and Ciel had practiced against one another many times in the past. The blonde knew how to defend himself. That, and Oz really did not have a reason to protect himself. That is to say, Gilbert was there, as was his uncle Oscar. The two of them were the blonde's physical shadows. If no one else stepped up to the plate, they would have died for him if the opportunity presented itself.

No. Something other than a simple attack on Oz's life had occurred, something other than the simple explanation the letter had provided.

"Sebastian."

The butler appeared before his desk without even a sound to announce his arrival. All knowing red eyes took in the unusually frantic appearance of his young master. The slight shaking of the body, the uncontrolled quivering of the eyes, and the semi noticeable loss of control of normal breathing patterns, all of which Ciel had never exhibited before. The butler knew, before Ciel had even opened his mouth a second time, what was going to be asked of him.

"What happened to Oz?"

"The letter should explain everything in detail."

Ciel looked the demon straight in the eye. That gaze, so full of an anguish that had not been felt in years, was the only composed piece of the earl's present being. "I want the truth."

Sebastian nodded. He knew one way or the other, once he had gotten over the initial shock, that Ciel would seek answers to an improperly explained problem. He, of course, knew the true nature behind Oz's disappearance. He had known the moment the young Bezarius had departed from their current world. Such a strong sensation his 'ceremony' let loose. Any and all sensible demons would have been able to understand what had happened when that eerie shiver racked their spines.

Demons were quite wary of that feeling. It meant someone had been banished to a place where anyone seldom returned from, demons included. It did not scare them, per say, but it did worry demons as much as it did humans.

"Young Master Oz has been tossed into the abyss."

Ciel glared at him. He had obviously been displeased with the answer he had received. "What the hell does that mean?"

Sebastian supposed he would be displeased with the answer as well, had it been him in this situation instead of his master. Ciel may have understood the underworld with a wisdom akin to the big tycoon he portrayed, but his knowledge of other worldly workings was on par with a child trying to determine how to use a calculator.

"The simplest way to explain it is this. It is a world of darkness that exists in a different dimension than this world. It is said that it used to serve as a prison to the most vile of sinners and criminals. Considered to be the ultimate method of confinement, very rarely has anyone ever come _out_ after they had been sent _in_."

Ciel took in a breath, accompanied by all the information his butler had just provided him with. "Very rarely, that means it has been done before."

"Supposedly." Sebastian answered. "However, never to the exact moment that they departed."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. Now was not the time for one of the demons dammed riddles. The boy was too emotionally shook up for that. "Just what are you getting at? I order you to tell me just what the hell you mean."

"The abyss does not heed to the same timeline as this world does. It operates on an entirely different stream of time. Those who go into it, and manage to come out, do not often come back to the time they left. Most often they return to a time many years later, when all they know have either died or disappeared."

Just what was this ache in his chest? Ciel almost felt like he was suffocating on the air he had moments ago tried to tame. He could have sworn he was having another asthma attack with the way his symptoms were developing. A terrible one, if his sudden inability to also control the flow of emotions was any indication.

"Even if I were to go retrieve him," Sebastian started again. "There is no guarantee that I would return with him in this same time frame, if I manage to bring him back alive at all. He could already be dead."

A sudden, and very audible, shatter in his mind made Ciel drop his head into folded arms. The shaking returned full force, its presence much stronger after its sight absence. His breathing was labored now. He did not need to reach for his face to know that small droplets were starting to fall. Then it was as if nothing else were around him. All his senses were brought out of the present and into the past.

Sight: _Light blonde hair, emerald green eyes, a smile so sincere it was nearly blinding to look at._

Sound: _The voice that was always so optimistic, so melodious, even through the haze of sadness it fought against. "Come on Ciel! Time to play!"_

Smell: _Oz always carried the scent of the crisp clear air he ran freely through. _

Touch: _The hand that always felt so warm and welcoming inside his own, even though Ciel would never let the other know that._

Taste: _The kiss that had occurred on accident, and even though both sputtered and did their best to pretend it never happened, Ciel remembered. Oz had tasted sweet._

"Young Master?" Sebastian could honestly say he was shocked. It had been some time since Ciel had shown such emotional distress, and never to these extremes. He had thought his master quite cured of them. Now he was far from sure.

"Oz, I want him back here."

"Young Master, I already told you-"

"Then stop it!"

The tone in the earl's voice nearly made Sebastian want to flinch. "Stop what?"

"Time." Ciel muttered harshly. "If he can't return to the time he left from, then I won't either." Behind the folded arms, the seal that symbolized the contract between him and his demon began to glow. "I order you to stop time until Oz returns."

There was no logic or purpose behind that order. There was nothing but unfiltered, painful emotions backing it up. It made no sense to anyone else who might have heard it. It did not seem like a reasonable request. What it seemed like was a child's desperate attempt to keep what he was having taken away.

Sebastian was ready to argue. He was ready to dismiss the order with a few reasons as to how impractical it was. But then something strange happened. A sudden pulse enveloped the demon. As the seconds passed, so did the strength of the unknown pulsing. He could not move. He could not explain the strange feeling floating through him. All he knew was that the room was sudden being covered by what looked like a thin sheet of crystal, and it was spreading. Fast.

* * *

In the dining room Mey-Rin attempted to reach for another plate that had been placed at the highest shelf. She never could understand why the dishes were always placed so high, especially the ones her young master used so frequently. If anything, those should have been the ones easy to access.

She stood on the tips of her toes, reaching high above her for the final plate. She had the dozen others already in her arms and they were starting to shake. She thought that maybe today would be the day where she could actually balance them all without a million glass shards littering the floor moments later.

However today would be like any other, and the chair she was standing on soon gave off that familiar squeak that warned her it would be tipping over soon. In a matter of three seconds she felt the plates lift out of her arm, and the initial jolt usually felt when falling backwards. However this time was a bit different.

This time the chair barely saw two inches off the ground before a wave of pure unidentifiable energy washed over the room. When it passed, only seconds after it arrived, the maid was in a room that stood perfectly still. She, even, was still about to fall from a chair that was slightly tipped over.

* * *

Out in the garden, Finny cut and chopped away the various pieces of foliage in the gardens at a leisurely pace. Beside him Tanaka sat, drinking his tea and laughing slightly every few seconds when the blonde said something funny. It was a surprisingly calm afternoon. A rare day of peace the manor did not often see. It was meant to be enjoyed.

Finny was surprised when Tanaka was suddenly several feet taller and looking worriedly towards the mansion. The blonde looked up from the bush he had been trimming to see a ghastly blur shoot out from the manor walls. It seemed to spread to the rest of the surrounding area, and was quickly coming towards theirs.

Tanaka turned to Finny, possibly to warn him to start running, at the same moment the blonde lost grip of the trimmers. A moment later the light enveloped them, leaving them frozen in those same positions.

* * *

At the very front of the manor, standing at the front of the gates leading into the mansion, was Bard. He chatted pleasantly with a messenger who had brought forth a letter for the young master. Bard was somewhat relieved that someone was reaching out to the boy. He knew that the news of Oz's death would hit the child hard. The two of them had been very close, though Ciel would never admit to such a thing.

The letter being delivered was about to change hands. Bard had intended to go for a walk to let loose some of the tension that had taken over him when he learned his little blonde friend was gone, but he figured he could at least pass the letter onto Sebastian before he left. That way Ciel would receive it and Bard would hear from the other servants later about what the message had said.

But something made him turn around. When he did, he took in the sight of a rapidly spreading glow, and knew that something was wrong. He had no idea what, but he knew something was amiss. In an instant he took hold of the messenger and threw him as far from the gates as he could.

The poor man found his footing only as the glow had gotten hold of Bard. The messenger let out a horrified shriek and ran for his life as the glow took hold of the rest of the Phantomhive estate, and any ground it stood on. The letter that he was to deliver had fallen to the ground mere inches away from Bard. The letter was addressed to a _Ciel Phantomhive_, from an organization who called themselves _Pandora_.

However that letter would never be read. Every member in the household that day had been frozen in time. As had everything on the earl's grounds.

The one who had forced it all to be so was one Ciel Phantomhive. He sat, in his study, strictly kept in a position of agony. He would wait until the cause of that agony returned. Until then everything would stay as _he_ had left it. Even if that meant that it all had to stay still for eternity.

* * *

MistressOfTime1218: Sorry to have been out of commission for so long. I have been busy getting ready to move out to my dorm when school starts in the fall, but I have still been writing.

I wanted to come back with this chapter in tow because of a comment my sister once said to me. She made mention of how this pairing must be killing Ciel because of his emotional instability, especially when it came to human relationships of this kind. She said she was surprised he had not already gone somewhat mad with all of the new, and frankly intense, emotional situations I'm putting him through.

I thought I might give that scenario a try. Don't know how I did, but I think I like it all the same. I hope you guys like it too.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Title: For a Change

Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts

Pairings: CielXOz

Chapter Summary: It's been so long since Oz has had the time to sit and smile. It's been far too long since life's little joys made an appearance to him. Ciel, somehow, miraculously makes quite a few of them appear.

Quote: Ciel, for lack of a better word, is good.

* * *

Oz had realized instantly that things were bound to steer very far from the norm that day.

For one thing, Ciel had not complained about Oz's presence at his front door that afternoon. In fact the young Phantomhive had answered the blonde's incessant knocking himself. When he did so he still had an annoyed look on his face, but there was something keeping it from reaching his eyes. Oz could even swear he saw a small inkling of a slight twitch that could have very well been a smile. Which was odder still, considering the second thing Oz had noticed upon entering the mansion.

It would seem that everyone in the earl's acquaintance had shown up for an impromptu gathering at the estate. Among Ciel's usual staff, the mansion now housed Elizabeth, her attendant Paula, Lau, and Ran-Mao. The blonde was also able to spot an acquaintance Ciel had once introduced as The Undertaker, and a figure dressed in red alongside a very strict looking man wearing glasses. Ciel's self appointed best friend, the ever vibrant Prince Soma, and his butler Agni had decided to make an appearance as well. Adding along Oz's small party to the happily chatting crowd, there was about 20 people inside the Phantomhive mansion.

This baffled Oz to the core.

Ciel had to have been planning some type of mass murder with the amount of people gathered around him. Especially considering how many of those people annoyed him on a daily basis. Maybe this was his way of getting rid of them all?

Not quite convinced that that was what would happen, but not wanting to take the chance either way, Oz almost turned his party around with the full intention of going home. That was, at least, until Ciel took him by the collar and dragged him into the house.

"Entertain them." He said simply.

"Okay…" Oz made to remove himself from Ciel's grasp. The other did not want to budge. "Uh, Ciel?" The blonde asked. "If you'd let me go, I could figure out a way to get their attention and take them somewhere-"

"No." The earl responded. "You stay put. Find some other way to occupy them."

"But I-" Oz stopped as the sound of a light chuckled emerged from behind him.

Break stepped fourth to stand beside the stuttering blonde. A mischievous light danced in his eyes, letting loose a glimmer Oz knew he would be paying for later.

Break only smiled and patted him on the top of his head. "Why don't we take it from here Oz-Kun?"

The blonde didn't very much like the sound of that. When Break took care of things, the outcome was usually more embarrassing than what it would have been if you had taken care of the matter yourself. Oz had half a mind to decline the offer, but Break was off before he had the chance.

Oz's group quickly dispersed themselves amongst Ciel's guests.

All the women were gravitated towards Sharon who began speaking about her latest feminine outings at the last country she visited. Mey-Rin, Elizabeth, and Paula were quick to immerse themselves in whatever she was saying.

Gilbert approached some of the other servants and began talking about the joys and woes about how watching over Oz had been that week. Agni, Finni, Bard, and Tanaka chimed in with their own experiences with their respected masters.

Break took aside the Undertaker, the red man, his strict looking companion, Sebastian, and began speaking about some odd little happenings all over England. He made sure to mention something about ominous figures and weird orders coming through to Pandora.

Alice began arguing with Prince Soma about who had the better servant. Meanwhile Lau and Ran-Mao watched on in oblivious content as the two debated over how it was, or was not, possible for someone who already had servants to be a servant themselves.

With the groups separated, it seemed that they were much more tolerable to the easily angered Earl. He nodded his approval before dragging Oz off yet again.

The two retreated to Ciel's study. The room was usually reserved for serious business arrangements and long discussions about life or death matters. It was meticulously well kept, and housed important documents of all sorts that Ciel needed to keep in mint condition. He did not like taking anyone in there for an extended amount of time with such precious cargo in toe unless there was an emergency. Something like an attack on the Queen or Oz's immediate plea for backup.

This time there was no such emergency taking place. Ciel had appeared to take Oz to this particular location for one trifle little joy. A game of chess between the two of them, a tradition they had shared since their first meeting, a friendly game where they conversed about nothing of dire need and simply chose to enjoy the others company. It was unusual, but Oz found he liked it very much.

It was not often that the blonde could partake in matters like these. He could not enjoy himself simply because he felt the need to. Days were numbered, and both he and Ciel had clocks that were ticking down to their inevitable ends. Ends that were drawing nearer every single day. Matters had to be taken care of before then, and the two of them did not have time to waste making themselves happy. Especially not Oz, who not only had his own burdens to bear, but also had the added stress of taking care of anything Jack had failed to attend to in his past life.

In fact Jack had been the main reason for a good amount of Oz's latest frustrations. The older Bezarius had been a hero, a man to be remembered and respected. That much Oz would never deny. However, he was also a man of mystery who had left much hidden when he died, and had yet to inform his descendent of how to unveil all of his past secrets. The man spoke in riddles, if he chose to speak to Oz at all, and it tended to cause serious problems for one fifteen year old boy who had never asked for any of his ancestor's responsibility.

Existing for a life like his, Oz often bitterly thought, was a job in and of itself.

"Oi," Ciel's fingers snapping in front of the blonde's face quickly brought the heir's focus back to the boy in front of him. "Pay attention, will you? Otherwise you're going to lose."

Oz shook his head and moved the closest pawn he could reach. He still had time to create a decent enough strategy. Ciel would wait for Oz to be more involved in the game before proceeding with any real intentions of victory.

"Sorry, I'm a bit distracted, I guess."

"About what? Anything in particular?"

Ciel was at least attempting to sound interested. Another pleasant little surprise Oz had the benefit of experiencing. "Jack, mostly."

Ciel slammed a chess piece down on the board. "Really?"

Oz, immediately sensing the problem, smiled reassuringly. "Yeah. He's been giving me a lot of problems lately."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "Has he said anything to you?"

The blonde shook his head. "That would be too easy." He picked up a piece of his own and moved it across the board. It was apparently a very stupid move if his lover's look of disapproval was anything to go by. "It just figures that when I need him to make an appearance he doesn't feel like showing himself. I know I need to learn the tricks of life by myself, but he could at least help me out a little. Part of what I'm going through is his fault."

Ciel hummed his agreements. "He takes too many liberties with you. Coming and going as he pleases without any thought to what you want."

"I suppose he has some right. I'm his vessel after all, and he's not a bad person. He just…can't take the hint that I need him."

Ciel was glaring again.

"Not like that Ciel." It was odd, he had to admit, seeing the Phantomhive act so…jealous. He usually kept his emotions to himself and would often scold Oz for wearing his on his sleeve. The world had no business knowing what his heart was bothering itself over, he would often say, and he was the only one who should be privy to what was inside that great organ. Why the earl was not keeping said beating organ under control, and letting it take over his facial features, was a mystery to the blonde. "I just need his input. That's all."

"He won't even give you that much?"

"I'm not sure if he can."

Ciel shrugged. "Truth be told, you really don't need him. You have me and an entire arsenal of allies you can have come to your aid. He's just a backup in case we all happen to fail. The chances of which are slim to none."

Oz knew that. He had been reassured of that many times before. And yet, sometimes assurance just was not enough. Sometimes what he really needed was a guarantee. "I know."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "You can do this without him, you know." Oz looked up at him in surprise. "This journey of yours, it never needed Jack. It began with you, and it's going to end with you. You would have gotten along just fine without his help."

Oz blinked and nodded slowly. He was not quite sure where Ciel was going with this, but he felt oddly curious to find out.

"Good. Sometimes I think you forget just how important you are in comparison to Jack. He was a noted figure in history, but he's dead. He can't be great anymore. You however are still great in the here and now. You still hold importance to this world. Jack should be lucky to have his name mentioned in everyday conversation anymore."

Oz was left completely breathless. Some far away part of his mind told him that this was an unusual turn of events for the two of them. Oz was normally the one to leave Ciel speechless with an emotional tirade of some sort. Ceil barely had a romantic or sympathetic bone in his body that could allow him to spew such sweet nothings on command. The blonde had no idea what to do in return. He wanted to say something. Perhaps thank the boy, or give him a few kind words as a reward. He just could not find it in him to open his mouth. Luckily, he was saved the trouble of doing so.

A moment later Ciel's servants, minus the butler, came into the study, bearing gifts in the form of a cart filled with goodies. A few new toys, dinner, dessert, and a very elegant looking vase with flowers picked fresh from the garden. Oz was stunned to see that they were not the usual silver roses that adorned the mansions many halls and table settings. Instead, what had been picked were wildflowers. They were pretty to look at, but not very high class or expensive. Normal nobility would not have them grace their presence. Yet, they were one of the many aspects of the Phantomhive grounds that the blonde loved. They always bloomed in such a fantastic array of colors. Blues, pinks, lush greens, soft reds, just about every color of the rainbow had a flower to show off its magnificence.

"Did you pick these, Fin?" Oz asked, smiling at the energetic nod he received.

"I knew they're your favorites, son I just picked a bunch out this morning!"

No doubt the areas in which they grew in were wrecked, but it was the thought that counts. And the thought was so incredibly sweet. "Thank you."

Bard gently pushed Finny to the side, and handed Oz a cookie. "Take a bite."

The blonde did as he was told. He was delighted to realize that the treat was filled with white chocolate, a luxury he had not indulged in for quite some time. He had been so busy as of late he had barely remembered to eat at all. "Did Sebastian make these?"

The cook grinned. "Nope. I did."

Ciel sounded like he scoffed at the notion, and Oz could only laugh. "Did you? Don't you normally try to stay away from baking?"

"Normally, but you're here today, so that means I've got to at least try. And you better appreciate this because this is the sixth batch I've tried and they finally came out decently."

Oz was touched. "Aww, Bard."

"Don't look at me like that." The cook said with a red flush. "It wasn't any big deal."

The green eyed boy begged to differ, but instead of pushing matters he simply hid his grin as Mey-Rin handed him a cup of tea. "Earl Grey?"

Ciel smirked as he took the cup he was handed. "Not today."

It was mint. Handpicked and freshly brewed mint tea. Ciel never selected this flavor. It wasn't much to his tastes, even with the slight sugar and lemon added. It was Oz's favorite, however, and when he had the opportunity he always had himself a cup. Mey-Rin was the only who knew that, but she had obviously let Ciel know of it if that smirk was anything to go by.

"I thought you didn't like mint."

"I never said I didn't like it." Ciel said bluntly, taking a cookie from the cart. He seemed hesitant to put it in his mouth, but in the end he chose to take the risk and take a bite. "I simply told you I never much preferred it. You do though."

Oz wanted to ask when it ever mattered what he wanted. Lately he had had to forgo what he desired in order to see to everyone else's needs. Including, but not limited to, Jack, Alice, Pandora, and the Bezarius family. All anyone cared about these days when in regard to him was when he would get over it enough to finish what he started. At least, that was the way it seemed like most of the time.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." With a wave of his hand, Ciel dismissed the three servants waiting patiently by the cart.

They bowed, smiled brightly, and headed to the door.

Oz called out to them before they had time to open it. "Make sure I see you guys before I leave, okay? I want to say goodbye."

In unison, the group happily called out, "Yes young master!", and was off.

Ciel rolled his eyes once they had gone. "They're too energetic." He looked over to Oz, to get his expected opinion on the matter, and paused when he saw that the other almost frozen. His eyes kept a rather intense focus on the door the staff had just departed from. "Something wrong?"

"They…they called me young master."

The earl frowned. "Did you take offense? I'll have a talk with them about it later-"

"No, don't." Oz turned back to the boy opposite of him. "It's just, well, no one's called me that in a long time." At the moment he had no idea whether to laugh or to cry. "It…was nice to hear."

Ciel frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." The blonde wiped at his eyes. There was no water there, but he had to be sure. "After the month I've had, all these little surprises just seem too good to be true."

"Life _can_ be pleasant every now and again."

Oz laughed. "But it rarely ever is when I'm involved." And yet, right then, he was happy. "I don't know if you can understand it at all, but days like this aren't really normal for me. Don't get me wrong, I won't complain about my life. It's been so much more than anyone could hope for, and I have a lot to be thankful for, but sometimes you get tired of it. So when small surprises just seem to pop up for no reason, it just makes me happy."

He wasn't sure if he was explaining things correctly. He was trying, rather desperately, to get the other to understand his point of view. He wanted to let the other know why he was happy, and why the day was affecting him so much. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was doing little more than confusing the other to no possible end.

"I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Ciel smiled. "You're making enough of it. And you're right." He quickly leaned over, grabbed the blonde's chin, crushed their lips together in a kiss, and sat back with a satisfied air around his body. "A change in pace is very much appreciated every now and again."

Oz could barely speak. But he was really _really_ happy right at the moment.

"Oi, we going to finish this game or not?"

The blonde smiled, and a few minutes passed full of blissful play. After about five minutes, Oz happily looked up and said, "Checkmate."

Ciel could only glare. "How is it that you keep _doing that_?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Title: In a Corner **

**Anime's: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts**

**Pairings: CielXOz**

**Chapter Summary: News of an engagement brings to light a bigger issue. One that Oz had not been aware existed. **

**Quote: Nobody puts Ciel in a corner.**

* * *

To say that Ciel was upset was a gross understatement. It was only years of putting on a stone cold face, perfecting the epitome of nonchalance, which kept his emotions from being noticed by the boy sitting opposite of him. Still, Ciel knew that Oz was well aware of his thoughts. He was positive that the other could sense how hostile his feelings were. He knew because Oz absolutely refused to meet his eye. Instead the blonde was doing a fine job of seeming overly engrossed in the chess game the two of them were playing.

Standing behind the two heirs were their ever faithful servants. One stood amused as his master glared and muttered dark curses under his breath. The other fidgeted and mentally cursed the fact that Ciel would never let him smoke in the mansion. The tension was just so suffocating. Even though he was not the one in trouble, Gilbert still felt the undying need to get rid of the stress with a cigarette.

"Care to explain yourself?" Ciel said casually. Though if read between the lines, the obvious message he was trying to relay was, 'Just what is the meaning of this?'

"I'm playing a game with you in your study." Oz answered back with just as much casualty. "What is there to explain?" Meaning, 'This is not as a big a deal as you think.'

"I suppose I should congratulate you." The earl said calmly. "For your engagement with Ms. Rainsworth."

Gilbert had to violently stomp down the reflex to flinch. He knew, mentally, that even if he managed to hide it, the desire to do so was still present in his body language. It was difficult for him not to some kind of reaction. Especially when the reason for all the tension in the room had just been identified.

"So you've heard?" Oz asked bashfully. 'I meant to tell you.'

"I got a letter from Elizabeth." 'I highly doubt that'. "She seemed excited. She appears to think very highly of Ms. Rainsworth."

"Sharon-Chan likes Elizabeth too. They've become almost as inseparable as you and I." 'I love you. Remember that.'

Ciel moved one of his pawns across the board. "I suppose I'm somewhat fond of you as a business partner." 'You only love me because you know you did something wrong.'

Gilbert nearly cried out in relief when the door to the study was suddenly opened. Break poked his head in, smiling slyly as all eyes turned to him. "Oh Raven~" He cooed. "Miss Alice seems to have taken hold of your hat and appears to be looking for ways to alter it."

"Why that!" That was another thing Gilbert could curse Ciel for. The brat always insisted that his hat, the thing that made Gilbert feel calm, cool, and composed, was to be off at all times whenever the Nightray was in the mansion. He grumbled curses under his breath before attempting to calmly make his way towards the door. He had taken about two steps before Oz had taken hold of his sleeve.

"Gil," He said innocently. "Don't you want to see the end of the game?" 'Don't you dare leave me in here by myself!'

Gilbert was thankful, yet again, when Break spoke up. "Oh, and Mr. Butler! I do believe your staff was calling for you. Something about a wrecked ballroom."

Sebastian sighed. He had just finished cleaning up the mess those three had made in the dining hall yesterday. Now this? He strode past his master to the door, taking hold of Gilbert on his way out, successfully dislodging him from Oz. "I'll be back shortly Young Master."

Gil muttered his agreements before closing the door behind him.

The room was completely silent. Not even the sounds of chess pieces moving towards enemy lines could be heard. Then again, neither boy had been seriously playing the game to begin with. No, their minds were focused on more pressing matters.

"So is this what you do in your spare time? Shamelessly flirt with strangers and then suddenly propose to your rich and glamorous traveling companion?"

Oz ran a hand through his hair. He could already feel the headache coming on. "Don't start this Ciel, please?"

This one last bullet you mentioned is my one last shot at redemption

"I suppose I should have seen this coming. You never were the type who seemed satisfied with what he already had."

"Ciel, would you listen to yourself?" The blonde said somewhat angrily. "I'd expect something like this from Elizabeth. Not you."

Ciel shrugged. "It seems that it shouldn't matter what I think. You have a lovely fiancé, the money she'll come with, and all the convenience you could ask for. Do tell, when is the wedding?"

Oz threw his hands up in frustration. "I was going to tell you about it,"

"When?" Ciel interrupted. "When you got up to the alter?"

Oz took in a long, deep, soothing breath. It occurred to him that his partner was being fairly hypocritical about this particular subject. Especially when the reality of his situation was taken into account. Ciel already had a lovely fiancé anxiously waiting for their wedding day _before_ Oz had ever come along. When Oz had taken measures to stop the relationship from furthering, he was by no means a man who took joy in ruining a happy family, Ciel claimed that he was being selfish and put an end to all of Oz's attempts. Now, when it seemed that Oz had decided to acquire a fiancé of his own to even out the playing field, Ciel was just as determined to disrupt any kind wedding ceremony before a hall was even so much as decided on.

Oz found **that** selfish, but saying something of the sort at the moment would only make matters worse. "What was I supposed to do? I am the current head of the Bezarius family. They want to see me wed and prepared to create an heir before I die, and they have been very persistent for quite some time. If I had ignored them any longer, they would have started asking some very serious questions." Oz took hold of one of his pawns and moved it across the board carefully.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Technically your father is still head of the family." He was angry, but he grabbed one of his own pieces and continued the game.

Now it was no longer about winning or losing. Now it was all about survival.

"Everyone else thinks he's dead, and since I took Griffin from him, he has no means by which to return to the family as a suitable leader, if he came back at all."

Ciel huffed. "The fool would never get the chance. Certain individuals would see to it that he never interfered with your life again."

Oz just had to smile. It was obvious that the younger boy was still upset with him, but beyond that itch of anger was the underlying concern Ciel had always held towards him. It could not be helped. The two had known each other for too long. They had learned too much about each other to be fooled by the false face's they exchanged on a daily basis. The bottom line was that they would always care. No matter what arguments went on between them, once the other was in danger, all bitter feelings were thrown to the wind.

That was how it had always been. It was how it always would be. That was why Oz knew that when Ciel said 'certain individuals', what he meant was 'me'.

"This will change nothing." Oz said reassuringly. "I did it to appease my family and to stop trouble before it could start."

Ciel looked less than impressed, but at least he was looking at him again. "I don't see why you couldn't just refuse them."

"We can't all be fortunate enough to be like the hounds of the royal bloodline. I _have_ to make sure that those in my family who could do decent damage are kept happy. To an extent anyway."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "To an extent?"

Oz smiled. "It's not like I'll ever really marry Sharon-Chan."

"Oh?"

Oz moved his queen along the board. "I doubt I'll live that long." His hand found its way to the constant ticking clock beside his heart. "This hand moves closer and closer to its destination every day. It won't be long now until I'm finally sealed back into the abyss for good."

Ciel narrowed his eyes. When his next piece hit the board, it did so with an audible _clank_. "You could just kill the rabbit and be done with the whole thing."

Oz looked back at him with a coy smile. "And you could just slay Sebastian and not have to deal with your soul being eaten." Ciel merely glared. "We both have things we need to see done, and at the end of both those tasks lay our unfortunate ends."

"Yours doesn't have to end that way."

"But it most likely will. I refuse to be left behind at any rate, so you and I will always be facing in the same direction. In the end we'll both be dead, leaving our widows behind to pick up the pieces and our estates in others hands." Oz tipped over his king. "So there's really no need to worry about how things here turn will out."

"Since when did you get so cynical?"

"Since you and I went far beyond the boundaries of work associates." He winked. "You've grown on me."

Ciel huffed, but tipped over his king as well. "You've grown on me as well it seems."

Something was still not sitting well with him. Oz could see it in the way the Phantomhive's body had yet to relax. It had been tense since the news of his lover's engagement was released. Oz did not know just what it was about the arrangement that was making the boy so uneasy, and he would likely get no more clues about the issue until tomorrow, after the two had a small break from each other. A day was a relatively short wait, especially when dealing with a boy like Ciel, who could carry grudges for years on end. And yet, Oz felt that 24 hours was just far too long to leave matters unsettled.

Slowly, cautiously, he stood from his chair and walked over to Ciel's. His movements were slow. If he took things too far too quickly, without gaining the proper clearance, he would find himself in a very uncomfortable position by the next morning. Ciel would not kill him, but he would most certainly see to it that he had something to wince over for the next few weeks.

Tentatively, he placed both hands on each of the younger's cheeks. His grip was fairly gentle, giving the other the opportunity to slap him away if he wanted. "What's wrong? I told you nothing would change. Everything is going to be exactly the same."

Ciel scoffed. "Don't be stupid. Of course something's going to change." Oz could swear there was a small twinge of longing in those dark blue eyes. "Even if it's just in name, you have a fiancé. You'll be expected to spend time with her, show up to special events with her, and shower her with words of love and affection. She gets to claim a part of you in public. I have to stay hidden in the shadows."

Suddenly, Oz realized that the situation was about more than just his supposed engagement to Sharon. That was part of the problem, yes, but that was hardly the full story. Ceil was afraid. Oz had been his and his alone up until that point. A short time ago the blonde had but one person to remain loyal too. Now there was another human being involved in the equation, and Ciel could not get rid of her without causing some serious damage. However, getting rid of the competition was all the earl knew how to do. How was he supposed to remain a contender all by himself when the odds were so heavily stacked against him?

Sharon had more access to Oz than he did. He had remained at her home for months and the servants had come to accept him in no time at all. Oz had had a small crush on her at one point, so there was no question that the Bezarius did indeed find her at least a little bit attractive. Sharon could give him what Ciel could not. A child, decent social standing, not to mention, quite a bit of financial security. She could also offer a possible way out of his illegal contract, what with her connections to Pandora and all.

Ciel was a diamond in the rough. He was in and out of himself, an enigma with the most tempting existence in the universe. But his appeal was dramatically cut in half in Oz ever decided that he wanted to live a very long and happy life.

With Ciel, Oz either resigned himself to dying young because of his refusal to more thoroughly look for a solution to his own problem in order to help his lover with his wishes, or he lived life alone because his lover eventually did adhere to the rules of his own bargain with a devil. There was no such thing as a happy ending when Ciel was involved. At least with Sharon, the possibility of a fairy tale, sugar coated, happily ever after was there. Oz did much better with happy endings than he did with tragedies.

Not to mention that, pushing aside the thought of the inevitable specter known as death, Sharon was a lot more social than Ciel was. She did well in crowds and entertaining others just for the joy of it. With her by his side, Oz's social circle would grow immensely. His list of friends and trustworthy companions would be close to endless if he played his cards right and Sharon would never deny him the company of others. Ciel never did that either, to be fair, but it was incredibly hard to mingle with others your own age when your lover was less than willing to give anyone the basic time of day. Because of that Oz's friends were far and few in between.

Any sane person would have the obvious lesser of two evils, and maybe that thought alone was what scared Ciel the most. Not the fact that Oz might marry the girl, but the possibility that she would prove to be more of what the blonde wanted in the long run. If that were to happen, the earl would be left alone, more so than he had been in the past. While it was selfish, along with someone you loved was a much more attractive offer than perishing by yourself.

Poor Ciel. He may have been a genius, but he obviously still knew next to little about the hearts of those around him.

Oz brought himself closer so that their noses touched and rubbed them together. Ciel had always claimed to always hate the gesture, but today he was unintentionally leaning in for more, trying to milk what comfort he could without needing to ask for it. It was one of those times that the young earl looked truly adorable.

"Ciel, you have nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid of any-"

Oz silenced him with a kiss. "Humor me then." Ciel promptly shut up. "I like Sharon. She's a lovely lady and a very good friend. I can depend on her for a lot, including watching my back with Eques when I get slightly in over my head. I treasure her deeply."

Ciel glared. "If this is your attempt at making me feel better, I can assure you that you have failed horribly."

Oz rolled his eyes. "However, I don't love her. Maybe once upon a time I might have been able to see her as a woman I could have in my life and consider it complete. Too much has happened, though, and by now, it's too late to consider her as anything more than a friend."

Ciel's eyes softened.

"This engagement and what may come from it mean nothing for you and me. Our goals, our plans, and most importantly our relationship will always remain the same. I know it, she understands it, and I can only hope you'll believe it."

This time it was Ciel who rolled his eyes, but he tugged the blonde into his lap. Oz laughed before shifting positions so that Ciel was the one being held, tucking the earl's head under his chin and fiddling with the dark blue tresses. Everything was fine now. No more words needed to be said. Perhaps later there would be hurt comments and more assurances to a contrary, but for now things were settled. Oz would not let himself be swayed by possibilities that were, at their core, not worth exploring. Ciel, meanwhile, would refuse to be left out of anything that involved something of his, and he would eventually get his way.

Life would continue on as the two of them had always had it, and that was just the way they preferred things.


End file.
